As people progress in their careers they naturally develop their technical ability to perform their roles. When experts in their field reach a more senior level and assume management roles, it is often assumed the same theory will apply. However, effectively managing a team is a very different skill that many will not have had an opportunity to develop naturally.
Unfortunately, employees can struggle to adapt to the demands and dynamics of a management position. For example, facilitating the strong performance of a team can be a new and challenging responsibility. Therefore, it is important that we support new, as well as more established, managers through a variety of learning and development tools.
As employers, we have a number of tools available to achieve this. For example, coaching, mentoring, classroom-based training, 360-degree feedback, reflective learning and management qualifications.
In this article we’ll explore the following:
- debunking common arguments that are used against management development;
- how to identify management development needs;
- the benefits of management development for employees and your business;
- the different types of management development techniques;
- and seeing results – how to measure the success of your management development efforts.
Common Arguments around Management Development
There is no widely agreed formula to effectively train managers. Some people respond to different forms of learning and development better than others and it should be a continuous and dynamic process. Despite the challenges and often personalised nature of development, it is still paramount that organisations support their new and well-established managers in developing their skills.
Nevertheless, this has led a few common arguments often presented by organisations who do not place as much importance upon management training as recommended. We’ve considered these below:
1. Management development is too much of a costly investment
This is the most widely used misconception by organisations who are looking to save on costs. The budget for learning development is often the first to be reviewed during times of financial difficulty. However, you could argue that this is counterproductive. Although it is a cliché, people are the most important resource in an organisation. Therefore, people need to be invested in to develop effectively to impact the bottom line. Whilst formal learning techniques, such as management development qualifications, might be more on the expensive side, there are other techniques to consider. For example, mentoring and peer review are much less costly and only involve time commitment from colleagues.
2. It’s difficult to gain budget for management tools because the results aren’t obviously measurable
It is true that measuring the success of management learning and development is a complex area. This can often make it difficult for organisations to quantify the impact of such initiatives on the bottom line. There is no one size fits all approach. It may be that an organisation needs to use a combination of tools to effectively demonstrate the impact of the training. There are lots of options – this could involve measuring business outcomes, peer review, manager review, personal development portfolios and performance appraisals.
3. Classroom training doesn’t produce sustained improvement
Classroom based training has a part to play in management development and theoretical learning. However, it is important to reinforce this development through encouraging managers to put their training into practice and reflect on this. They can achieve this through coaching, mentoring and personal development portfolios (Training Journal, 2018).
Identifying Management Development Needs
In order to effectively tailor management development for each individual, it is important that their specific learning needs in relation to the organisation are identified. This allows you to understand what interventions would be most suitable to achieve the desired outcome for each manager. We have listed below some useful techniques to identify learning needs:
1. Competency Frameworks
Often large organisations have frameworks which enable them to map the required competencies required at each level of the organisation. Care should be taken when developing a competency framework to ensure it only includes elements that are specific and can be measured. This ensures managers are clear on what is expected from them. This can then be used to identify a manager’s skill gaps and tailor the learning interventions accordingly.
2. Performance Appraisals
Learning needs can be identified through the performance appraisal process. As a manager’s progress is measured and discussed against each objective, skill gaps can be identified. More frequent performance conversations are recommended to continue to monitor the manager’s progress and development needs. This also allows you to tailor their development plans accordingly.
3. Performance Management
You may decide that a manager needs to go on an informal or formal performance plan to develop their management capabilities. Their learning needs can be identified and tailored support can be put in place. Regular performance management reviews are also a useful way to measure the manager’s progress.
4. 360 Degree Feedback
Try gaining feedback from the team, in particular those that report into the manager. This is a useful way of measuring their management capability and identifying areas of improvement.
There are a number of effective 360 degree survey options that can provide an anonymous and constructive space to gain valuable feedback.
Management Development Techniques
Structured, evaluated, continuous and tailored management development is essential for managers at all levels. This can make a significant difference to the capability of the individuals and, in turn, their impact on the business. Management development tools should be tailored to the individual manager’s needs as well as the context and priorities of the business. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) recommend the below selection of common development techniques:
Formal Methods
- Management qualifications – this could include undergraduate, postgraduate (such as an MBA), diploma or an equivalent higher-level qualification in business/ management.
- Vocational qualifications – such as Scottish or National vocational qualifications (NVQs/ SVQs) in business/ management.
- Courses from management organisations or professional bodies- such as those provided by the Chartered Management Institute.
- Management apprenticeships.
Informal Methods
- Coaching – a one to one form of personalised development, generally between an employee and a trained coach who may be internal or external to the organisation.
- Mentoring – a tailored form of development which involves regular meetings between the employee and a more senior member of staff to support with their progress against their professional objectives.
- Shadowing– this could involve the pairing up of two managers who spend a certain amount of time shadowing each other and then providing feedback on their observations.
- Secondments – seconding managers to another area of the business can help them to develop their skills and experience.
- Lunch & Learn – this is an informal way of bringing managers together involving a question and answer session, facilitated by an HR professional. It can help to encourage the sharing of knowledge and experiences.
- Communities of Practice – managers can meet as a group to share learning and engage in development conversations. This could be in a physical setting or virtually through social media platforms.
What are the benefits of management development?
The benefits of management development can be split into two categories; the benefits for your employees, and the benefits for your business.
Benefits of Management Development for Employees
To ensure management development is as effective as possible, we recommend using a combination of interventions that are tailored to the individual’s learning needs. Through this personalised management development plan, employees may gain important skills in performance management, conflict management, recruitment and resourcing, employee engagement, the performance appraisal process and how to have challenging conversations.
An important point to add is that a manager’s motivation to take part in development and progress is imperative to the success of the plan. This urge to develop has to come from the individual manager themselves. In order to encourage this culture of professional development, the senior managers in the organisation need to act as role models. They can do so by taking part in learning interventions and in initiating development conversations with others.
Benefits of Management Development for the Business
Richard Branson famously said: ‘train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to’. In terms of management development, these words are poignant and demonstrate how investing in developing capability is crucial for talent retention and employee engagement.
People are motivated by different things, whether this is higher salaries, career progression or the vision of the organisation they are working for. Often the opportunity for skill and career development is a significant factor in motivating and engaging employees. If an organisation chooses not to invest in their managers through development, it is likely they will become frustrated and will start to seek opportunities elsewhere. However arguably, if they do choose to remain within the organisation, they may not be able to reach their potential as a manager without effective management development and will not be as impactful on the business.
Therefore, management development is essential to attract, retain and engage individuals at this level. It is also essential to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to effectively train their team. For example, this involves managing performance, engagement, any internal conflict and ensuring they are aware of their responsibilities and the organisation’s expectations. In turn, this will create a more productive workforce with a more positive morale and a lower staff turnover rate. This ultimately impacts upon the organisation’s bottom line.
Evaluating the Success of Management Development
It is important that we evaluate management development interventions to understand whether they have made an impact and delivered value for the business. The CIPD suggests that the cost of the intervention should be compared against the value of expected and actual outcomes. This is more quantifiable if the outcome is around specific task accomplishment. However, evaluating how far individuals have developed in terms of their management capability is less tangible and more complex. Below are some commonly used methods to evaluate development:
1. Establish learning objectives
Agree the learning objectives with the manager prior to the learning intervention, and ensure they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART). The manager can then have regular catch ups with their line manager or an HR professional to measure their progress against the agreed objectives. This is also an opportunity to discuss any challenges they are finding and how to overcome them.
2. Peer Review
A useful tool to measure any improvement in an individual’s management capability is to seek feedback from those that they manage. This will help to understand how their approach may have changed, and what management practices and approaches they have implemented since the learning.
3. Anecdotal Evidence
Anonymous feedback provided through employee engagement surveys can also be a useful means of evaluating how far an individual has progressed in their management capability. This will also allow you to compare results from before and after the learning intervention.
4. Productivity Increases
A more quantifiable method of evaluating learning and development interventions is by measuring any improvement in productivity and performance in the manager’s team. This could be measured through the output of the team, through their performance appraisal ratings, employee engagement scores and through overall business performance factors.
Considering management training?
To sum up, there is a wealth of benefits to be gained from investing in management development. If you think your team could benefit from reviewing your current development strategies, contact our team to find out about our range of learning and development consultancy services.
